Whispers of thy Heart

Chapter Eight

There was one thing that Derek had loved to do all his life - Read.

While his peers tore apart the grounds chasing each other, he preferred the knowledge he gleaned from books. But his parents didn't understand it, he was the imperfection in their perfect family. The fact that he achieved perfect scores in all his academic tests were ignored because he didn't fit in with the other kids, he was...different.

Teenage Derek was walking down the road, his head bent over a book. he failed to notice a group of hooligans that were coming from the opposite directions. He had given them way but they pushed into him and then began to shout. the next thing he knew they were all hitting him...

Derek woke up with a gasp completely covered in cold sweat. The incident hadn't been that traumatic or that unusual. He was the one people picked on, because he was the weakest Ames. Be it his father's competitors looking down at him or kids who were jealous of his brothers but were too afraid to take up fights with them.

It got to the point where he got known as the bad un because he always got into fights. He had almost given up on ever having peace when Mrs. Amelia Jameson had guided him.

She had seen the frail, frightened boy hide out in the library everyday and had finally handed him the application for the scholarship program. The fact that he had done as many advance courses as he could to stay away from the student population had worked in his favor and at the age of eighteen, he had left the safety of home for New York.

He looked at the alarm by the bed and groaned. That it was three in the morning and that he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep after made him highly annoyed.

Grumbling he walked into the kitchen to get on a pot of coffee. If he wasn't going to sleep, he might as well work.

Setting a huge mug of coffee, he switched on his laptop and was soon busily typing away. That was how Sam found him when he peeked in to see if Derek was feeling any better.

He sat on the couch and stared at Derek.

"so how is the makeover going?" he asked smirking when Derek banged his head on the table and groaned.

"Don't ask, see this" he said pointing at his short hair, " I can't stand it! it keeps tickling me forehead and people stare at me. Also, Vivian decided that since I have the tendency to run away that she is going to move in with me."

Sam laughed out loud, and when there was no reply from Derek turned and stared at him, "Wait...are you telling me you are serious? you are going to live with her, here!"

Derek sighed and nodded, " She didn't even come and tell me. just gave me a call to get the guest room ready."

Sam chuckled, "And really I don't understand how you don't get it, Derek women find you attractive. Trust me. "

Derek snorted and got back to his work. Sam just shook his head and said, "that wasn't why I came. Mom insists that you turn up for dinner at their place tonight and before you argue she won't hear of any reasons except that you are in the hospital due to unknown diseases. And trust me you don't want to use that excuse. She will just turn up to the hospital along with dad.

Derek nodded and said, " how long do we have before she calls to ask?". Sam gulped, "Well, that's the thing she wants us home a little early."

Derek sighed. Mrs. Hannah Jones was the epitome of all things motherly put together. She loved to pamper and coddle not just her own kids but also their friends. The first time he had met her, it had been a shock. His mother and practically all the women from where he lived were aloof and didn't believe in associating with their children unless it was for a party or a charity or for the press or to reprimand them in private. The closest his mother had ever been to him was when she hugged him on his birthdays. Instead he had walked in behind Sam to see Hannah sitting on the couch playing  a game with her kids. They were all screaming and yelling but it looked like they were having fun. She had looked up and a bright smile had  broken up on her face. She walked up to them and pulled Sam into a hug. Letting Sam go, She had pulled Derek into a hug, shocking him. " You must be Derek! Sam has told me so much about you. He never said you were so thin. You need to eat well my dear. Well come in we are playing game of life. My kids love it." She said dragging Derek off. Sam scoffed from behind them, "Hello mom, wonderful to see how much you care about your son too. I am fine in case you are wondering." He said but Derek could see the twinkle in his eye that said he was joking. They had all sat at the dining table and Derek hadn't seen that much hustle around a single table ever! Everyone was talking with the other about holidays, and school, and girlfriends ,and boyfriends and everything else they had missed from what they did over the last two weeks. That had been his first official dinner and now as an honorary member of the family, he was to attend the bi-weekly family dinners, whether he was busy or not.